Ecosystem services valuation by pioneering companies

This study aims to identify the reasons for companies to invest in ecosystem services valuation (ESV). ESV is a voluntary environmental initiative (VEI) that intends to strengthen ecosystem services management, assess ecological sustainability of human activities, and rate and dissociate environmental and economic conditions. We identified 70 companies of 17 sectors and 18 countries currently undertaking ESV work, and classified their work according to levels of development. Additionally, we conducted interviews to better understand the reasons for such proactive behaviour. Among other findings, we discovered that pioneer companies tend to establish institutional partnerships to access to knowledge about ESV.